Reviews by biokid23:

More User Reviews:

Piercing Pils a beer I've wanted to try since I heard about the pear juice and pear tea additions. Pours a brilliant golden color with bright fluffy white head, I've been drinking DFH pils since the Prescription Pils, Golden Shower, Golden Era, and the latest My Antonia. I liked them all by the way, nice to see a 6% abv on a pils from them that has Saaz hops backing it all up. Aroma has an earthy herbal note, but not much in the way of actual pears. More Saaz, earthy, citrus, cut grass qualities with a nice bready malt back bone. Flavor has some pear essence, and more earthy herbal tea bitterness too bad most of the pear sweetness was fermented out here. As a whole it's a nice full bodied pils with easy drinkability, a bit off centered but much less so than some of their crazy adjuncts they usually put out there. Mouthfeel is medium to light bodied with sturdy carbonation goes down great with every sip. Overall no complaints noted here, I'm a fan of this pils as well but don't expect it to re-invent the wheel. (1,025 characters)

12 fl oz brown glass bottle with spare label art and a branded pry-off pressure cap acquired at a local H-E-B grocery and served into a Pinthouse Pizza conical pint glass in me gaff in low altitude Austin, Texas. Reviewed live. Expectations are above average given the description on the label, which makes the beer sound nice for a Dogfish Head offering. 6% ABV confirmed per the label. "Bottled on 2013F 1429." Reviewed as a Czech Pilsner because the label identifies it as such.

Served cold - at fridge temp. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

A: No bubble show forms as it's poured.

Pours a one finger wide head of white colour. Decent thickness. Okay creaminess. Head retention is pretty good - about 4-5 minutes. No lacing sticks to the sides of the glass as the head recedes.

Body colour is a translucent transparent pale yellow-copper of excellent clarity and average vibrance. Clean; no yeast particles or sediment is visible. Appears well-carbonated.

Overall, it's a pretty standard appearance for a beer in this style. There are no obvious flaws, but it's far from unique or special.

Sm: Definitely smells like a pilsner. Pilsner malts, clean barley, Saaz hops, floral hop character, plenty of grains, straw, and faint fruit. It's a pleasant aroma of moderate strength, but I don't pick up on specific pear juice or pear tea notes. The fruitiness is quite timid, and I can't identify pear specifically. It's certainly on the sweet side for a pilsner, but at the same time seems overhopped. I've never experienced Saaz as overt as this.

No yeast character, alcohol, or off-notes are detectable.

T/Mf: It's got a bit of overcarbonation and comes across nicely crisp, if a biteen biting. It's smooth and wet on the open but soon takes on an unbecoming coarse and dry feel that persists until the finish. In any case, it still feels refreshing. Medium bodied, with a bit too much weight on the palate for a pils. Overall, it has a decent presence on the palate and the texture suits the taste generally well.

Not oily, gushed, hot, boozy, astringent, harsh, or chewy.

Not as sweet as the aroma suggested, fortunately. The core of the beer is pretty standard - pilsner malts, clean barley, and prominent Saaz hopping. But there's also some subtle sweetness and vague fruitiness - it's not identifiably pear, but it's pleasant and complements the rest of the flavour profile well. I don't get any tea notes.

The hops fit the malts nicely, and the subtle fruitiness lends it a bit more depth of flavour than most pilsners feature. Average duration and intensity of flavour.

This is a tasty pilsner with some likable elements. The pear isn't as in-your-face as I anticipated, and Dogfish Head has delivered a beer that actually has some subtlety and nuance to it. Complexity and intricacy are above average for the style.

Dr: Very drinkable and enjoyable. I could easily plow through a four pack of this and would enjoy doing so. The price point is unreasonable, though, and I couldn't see myself buying this again as a result. It's one of Dogfish Head's more carefully considered beers, but the cynic in me is thinking the lack of overt pear was less a decision than a mistake. In any case, while it's not up there with the best traditional examples of the style, it remains a tasty American attempt at a pils that sacrifices tradition for a bit more depth of flavour. I'll be sticking to Pilsner Urquell in the future, but this is enjoyable stuff.

excellent four pack release from dogfish head. pear juice, pear tea, and saaz hops, a nice combination in a pils. don't crucify me for this, but I have always thought the basic euro pilsener was missing something. not stylistically or anything, but from a flavor standpoint they bored me for the most part. this one doesn't. its also the first pear beer ive had that isn't perfumed to high heaven rendering it unpalatable after a few sips. this is clean and light and bright and fun and balanced and everything you could want in a neo-Czech style. the saaz hops are also the perfect companion to this, they are so fresh and potent, yet classic at the same time. I could not imagine any other variety here, its a perfect marriage. it has a little too much body for a pils, which I guess from the color, honey colored with a nice white head but a density unbecoming to the style. it works though, and gives the herbal pear/tea combination something to hold on to. worthy sauce for sure right here, the pear is subtle and not sweet at all, which makes great sense in a dryer and crisper style. I know the style gurus will have a field day bashing dogfish head for yet another "off centered ale", but this one really does work, and certainly doesn't warrant the criticism I can see it facing. really an innovative and well executed brew. (1,333 characters)

A: A bright and clear light golden beer with a long lasting, low white head of soapy bubbles.

S: It has a distinctly German pilsner aroma with a spicy and herbal hop aroma and a gram cracker-like Pils malt character. There is just a light hint of something usual in the nose in addition to the low, light fruit aroma.

T: There is a light malt softness, a medium amount of bitterness and a moderate pear flavor upfront. The balance is fairly bitter having just a light sweetness in the middle the resolves in a off-dry finish. The spicy hops flavor is at a medium level. The after taste is of peaches and hops.

M: A medium-light bodied beer with a medium-strong level and just a slight astringency.

O: A nicely balance beer where the fruit and tea additions compliment the quality base beer style instead of overwhelming it as is often the case. (850 characters)

Taste: cracker, grass, grain, and pear juice at the end and into the aftertaste

Mouthfeel: sweet for the style, medium-light bodied with moderate carbonation

Overall: A nice and refreshing beer. The pilsner base is tasty. The pear comes through at the end and as it warms so that this is different enough from other pilsners. I would buy this year round as it is one of the better DFH beers I have had in some time. (533 characters)

Deep golden hued with excellent clarity and vibrant carbonation. A miniscule layer of carbonation caps off most of the top of the glass. I smell pears and some subtle Saaz hops. I know that's not shocking considering this beer. Mouth is moderately carbonated and you get a bitterness from the hops that also helps to prickle the tongue. This is straightforward with the bitterness of the hops mingling with the sweetness of the pear flavor. I think the carbonation might need some dialing back, but it's a good beer. (516 characters)